With populations growing in the world's earthquake-prone
regions, catastrophic quakes will kill more people during this century
than ever before, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey warn.

Thomas L. Holzer, an engineering geologist at the survey's Menlo Park offices, and James Savage,
a retired survey seismologist, estimate that 21 earthquakes with death
tolls greater than 50,000 - the kind they term "catastrophic" - will
occur around the world before the end of this century, while only seven
such killer quakes were recorded during the 20th century.

"It's
not that we're having more earthquakes, it's that more people are living
in seismically vulnerable buildings in the world's earthquake zones,"
Holzer said.

Earthquake fatalities around the world will reach at
least 3.5 million in the 21st century - more than double the 1.5 million
in the 20th century, the scientists forecast.

"And unless we take
this issue of vulnerable buildings seriously, we're going to see even
more catastrophes before the end of this century," Holzer said.... Read more »